The event will celebrate the start of the annual sustainability competition and include games, prizes. photo booth and free food like fruits, vegetables, cheese and crackers and more. Duke community members can sign up for the Smackdown challenge on-site, and all who attend receive bonus points for their Smackdown team.

Attend the Green Devil Smackdown Tip-Off

The special event to begin the Green Devil Smackdown takes place from noon to 1 p.m. Feb. 5 inside Cameron Indoor Stadium on Coach K Court. No registration is necessary, but Duke community members can join the event’s Facebook page. Sign up for the Smackdown is still available online.

"The kickoff is a fun way to get teams excited about working together to compete and reduce their emissions throughout the Smackdown," said Casey Roe, outreach coordinator for Sustainable Duke. "It's allows everyone to size up the competition to see who they'll be going up against."

Over eight weeks (Feb. 3 to March 28), participants accrue points for each sustainable action they take and teams are ranked by average points per participant. Last year about 1,400 students, faculty and staff participated by finding their carbon footprint with Duke's Carbon Calculator, answering quizzes on Duke's sustainable history and more.

More on Duke Today

During the tip-off event in Cameron on Feb. 5, visitors can stop in a special sustainable photo booth to get pictures taken and dress up in an inflatable outfit for a sumo-wrestling match. Prizes can be earned from games like a recycling shootout, where students and employees will test their basketball skills by tossing recyclable materials into bins.

"It's important for the Duke community to learn actions they can take to reduce their footprint," Roe said. "In order to achieve our carbon neutrality goal by 2024, we need everyone on campus to participate in sustainable efforts that help reduce emissions."

Throughout the Smackdown contest, teams compete for the grand prize - a wrestling belt and recognition at an annual sustainability awards luncheon - individuals compete for weekly prizes like a bicycle pump, free Duke Campus Farm produce and more. Everyone who participates regularly will also win a set of travel bamboo utensils. Sign up for the Smackdown is still available online.